Please take a look at Articles on self-defense/conflict/violence for introductions to the references found in the bibliography page.

Please take a look at my bibliography if you do not see a proper reference to a post.

Please take a look at my Notable Quotes

Hey, Attention on Deck!

Hey, NOTHING here is PERSONAL, get over it - Teach Me and I will Learn!


When you begin to feel like you are a tough guy, a warrior, a master of the martial arts or that you have lived a tough life, just take a moment and get some perspective with the following:


I've stopped knives that were coming to disembowel me

I've clawed for my gun while bullets ripped past me

I've dodged as someone tried to put an ax in my skull

I've fought screaming steel and left rubber on the road to avoid death

I've clawed broken glass out of my body after their opening attack failed

I've spit blood and body parts and broke strangle holds before gouging eyes

I've charged into fires, fought through blizzards and run from tornados

I've survived being hunted by gangs, killers and contract killers

The streets were my home, I hunted in the night and was hunted in turn


Please don't brag to me that you're a survivor because someone hit you. And don't tell me how 'tough' you are because of your training. As much as I've been through I know people who have survived much, much worse. - Marc MacYoung

WARNING, CAVEAT AND NOTE

The postings on this blog are my interpretation of readings, studies and experiences therefore errors and omissions are mine and mine alone. The content surrounding the extracts of books, see bibliography on this blog site, are also mine and mine alone therefore errors and omissions are also mine and mine alone and therefore why I highly recommended one read, study, research and fact find the material for clarity. My effort here is self-clarity toward a fuller understanding of the subject matter. See the bibliography for information on the books. Please make note that this article/post is my personal analysis of the subject and the information used was chosen or picked by me. It is not an analysis piece because it lacks complete and comprehensive research, it was not adequately and completely investigated and it is not balanced, i.e., it is my personal view without the views of others including subject experts, etc. Look at this as “Infotainment rather then expert research.” This is an opinion/editorial article/post meant to persuade the reader to think, decide and accept or reject my premise. It is an attempt to cause change or reinforce attitudes, beliefs and values as they apply to martial arts and/or self-defense. It is merely a commentary on the subject in the particular article presented.


Note: I will endevor to provide a bibliography and italicize any direct quotes from the materials I use for this blog. If there are mistakes, errors, and/or omissions, I take full responsibility for them as they are mine and mine alone. If you find any mistakes, errors, and/or omissions please comment and let me know along with the correct information and/or sources.



“What you are reading right now is a blog. It’s written and posted by me, because I want to. I get no financial remuneration for writing it. I don’t have to meet anyone’s criteria in order to post it. Not only I don’t have an employer or publisher, but I’m not even constrained by having to please an audience. If people won’t like it, they won’t read it, but I won’t lose anything by it. Provided I don’t break any laws (libel, incitement to violence, etc.), I can post whatever I want. This means that I can write openly and honestly, however controversial my opinions may be. It also means that I could write total bullshit; there is no quality control. I could be biased. I could be insane. I could be trolling. … not all sources are equivalent, and all sources have their pros and cons. These needs to be taken into account when evaluating information, and all information should be evaluated.” - God’s Bastard, Sourcing Sources (this applies to this and other blogs by me as well; if you follow the idea's, advice or information you are on your own, don't come crying to me, it is all on you do do the work to make sure it works for you!)



“You should prepare yourself to dedicate at least five or six years to your training and practice to understand the philosophy and physiokinetics of martial arts and karate so that you can understand the true spirit of everything and dedicate your mind, body and spirit to the discipline of the art.” - cejames (note: you are on your own, make sure you get expert hands-on guidance in all things martial and self-defense)



“All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I should not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed.” - Montaigne


I am not a leading authority on any one discipline that I write about and teach, it is my hope and wish that with all the subjects I have studied it provides me an advantage point that I offer in as clear and cohesive writings as possible in introducing the matters in my materials. I hope to serve as one who inspires direction in the practitioner so they can go on to discover greater teachers and professionals that will build on this fundamental foundation. Find the authorities and synthesize a wholehearted and holistic concept, perception and belief that will not drive your practices but rather inspire them to evolve, grow and prosper. My efforts are born of those who are more experienced and knowledgable than I. I hope you find that path! See the bibliography I provide for an initial list of experts, professionals and masters of the subjects.

Traditions - A Perspective and Perception

Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

“Tradition is Tending the Flame. It is NOT Worshiping the Ashes.” Humans have and rely on memory to live and survive and it is well studied, documented and not well known that humans upon retrieving memories change those memories according to the moment along with past experiences, etc. 

Yes, I am saying that our memories are not written in stone nor are they as exacting or exact as we believe. Our memories every time are tweaked accordingly, in the moment and to support our belief systems, etc. Even if we want to hold on to a tradition as an unchanging thing our human species naturally changes the very thing we wish to hold on to and label as tradition or traditional. 

In all things but especially in karate and martial arts we think of traditional as something to maintain in an unchanging form even to the reasoning of “To Honor and Remember our Founder.” This strict adherence to past precedence is very common especially in some martial/karate circles excluding any possible change.

In can best be said that those who we lean to worship as great persons all achieved that level of respect and admiration because they were innovators, creators and developers of the very system or style of discipline that is labeled as traditions or traditional. They took the traditions they received, they analyzed those traditions, they developed appropriate changes for the times in which they lived and then they synthesized new traditions to pass along. They demonstrated that one cannot just accept things the way they are but they understood that one must take those traditions and still move forward, to allow that very same tradition to evolve. 

Study history, study the ways of the past - traditions, remember and hold them in your heart but remember that spending too much time and energy on the past slowly kills it and takes it very vitality as an art and way, stagnating its potential and creativity. Build your way with a foundation of history and traditions. Don’t focus exclusively on the past and its past ways for that is to stifle and stagnate any possible future. 

Traditions are about fanning and fueling the flames of learning, understanding, creating creatively and then analyzing and synthesizing new traditions firmly connected to the old making all traditions fluid, changing and evolving for each time, each moment and each individual.

Respect the Old; Respect the Past; Learn from Traditions and Create the New; Create from the Past; Synthesize New Traditions! 

Bibliography (Click the link)

“In order for any life to matter, we all have to matter.” - Marcus Luttrell, Navy Seal (ret)



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